Attempts to Dismantle DHS Civil Rights & Immigration Oversight Offices

According to reporting, on March 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued Reduction in Force (RIF) notices to nearly the entire staffs of three congressionally mandated internal oversight offices: the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), and the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CISOMB). GAO records confirm DHS proposed eliminating 147 CRCL positions, 118 CISOMB positions, and 46 OIDO positions — representing each office's full non-Senior Executive Service (SES) workforce. According to reporting, DHS stated the offices "obstructed immigration enforcement" and functioned as "internal adversaries." In response to a legal challenge, DHS updated its websites to indicate the offices remain operational, but at least some reductions in force proceeded. An administration official admitted under oath in litigation that the offices' statutory obligations were not being performed. Ranking members of three Senate committees formally concluded DHS was in violation of its statutory obligations and demanded answers by July 31, 2025.